Balto:Welcome to Combat-An introduction to Glory
by Whiskey-Foxtrot 929
Summary: Dedicated to all of America's servicemen and women. No relation to events in reality intended. Balto joins the K-9 teams of the 1st Marine Recon Expeditonary Force. His handlers are assigned to guard and patrol duties at the Afganistan-Pakistan Border. The enemy is not directly named. Multiple OC's, so bear with me. Certain parts rated M for intense war violence and harsh language.
1. Chapter 1

**Balto: Welcome to Combat-An Introduction to Glory **

**Author's Note: I decided to take a break from my other fanfic because I'm way ahead of schedule. This is a tribute to all of the soldiers who have fought, died, or are fighting for America and her freedom, along with the protection of others who do not have that luxury. I am writing this because we need to take the time to think about all the stuff we take for granted, not even realizing it. A vast majority of the luxuries and opportunities that we are given, would not have been provided in the first place, were it not for the courage and sacrifice of our founding fathers, and the men who died to uphold democracy. Let us not forget the men and women who have fought, and are fighting to spread the idea of freedom and peace. Also, let us not forget, that without many of the great sacrifices that people have made in the past, America, and much of the world, would not be the way it is today. Also: I cannot legally state the name of the enemy, but I will hint, and say that their "organization" starts with a, "T." Please also note that this is not anywhere near exact events. If so, any similarities are purely and innocently coincidental. Reader discretion, because, during scenes of prolonged action violence, there will be harsh language or, in simpler terms, swearing. If any are offended, NO FLAMES! All characters except for, Balto and Jenna, are owned, and hereby copyrighted by me. Balto and Jenna are owned and copyrighted by Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. No copyright infringement intended. God bless us, and oo-rah. **_**Long live America, her allies, and her values of peace and freedom!**_

**Chapter 1-Character Development**

_June 22, 2010 6:37 A.M.: Near Afghanistan-Pakistan Border: Zulu Base_

Johnathan had awoken to a knock on his room door. He quickly jumped out of his bed and proceeded to the door. Once he had opened his door, a voice greeted him. "Good morning, Lieutenant General Jones. Sir, command is assigning a new dog to our team, along with a transfer. The said they'll be a good fit. The dog's a half-breed. The new soldier's a Lance Corporal." He replied, "Well that's damn good news, Sergeant. Assemble the men in the briefing room and tell them to prepare for our new arrivals." The Sergeant nodded and saluted before marching off.

Johnathan prepared for the day by kneeling down at his bed, and praying for god to let that day run smoothly. His company has been assigned to border-guard duty and patrol. He is in control and sometimes goes on recons with the K-9 teams. After his prayer, he gets up and pulls on his shirt, grabs his jacket, dog tags, boots, and hat, before heading out the door. He takes a quick look around after he exits before sighing and saying, "Beautiful morning."

As he walks by the mess hall, he enters and grabs a cereal bar before heading out again. On his way to the briefing room he eats his breakfast. He exits the main building and looks up at the barely blue sky. He makes his way to the briefing room slowly, and is approached by his best friend, also on his way there. His friend is Staff Sergeant Jake Arrasmith. "Good morning John." He smiles and replies, "Good morning to you too Staff Sergeant." Jake looks at his friend and says, "Sir, what's this meeting about?" John replied, "We're gettin' two new members, a new K-9 and a Lance Corporal. I don't know anything else about this myself, so don't ask." Jake laughs as the two enter the room.

_Three Miles Away: K-9 Training Facility #4-Camp Delta_

A brown husky/wolf hybrid awakes to the sound of the horn. He and his two buddies were finishing their combat training today. His friends were already enlisted and had served a tour, they just needed a refresher course. One of his squad-mates, a Belgian Malamute named Prescott, groaned and said, "Well, our last day of rest before we go out again. You ready for your first assignment Balto?" He laughed and replied, "Are you kiddin', I was born ready." He lied. He was nervous, and didn't know what to expect, except the unexpected.

The door was lightly pushed open as a young 21 year old Lance Corporal entered the room. He had a smile on his face and looked at Balto. "You ready boy? Huh? Come on; let's go get something to eat." Balto barked and ran up to the man, and licked his hand. "Good morning to you to boy." The other two dogs got up and followed when they heard a whistle for them outside. The second dog, a German Shepherd named Marlow said, "Come on, let's go, we got a hell of a day ahead of us," as the two trotted out of the room.

As Balto and his handler walked down the corridor to the mess hall breakfast, he looked inside one of the rooms. He saw 2 more dog getting ready for the day. From what he heard, they were being assigned to the same platoon that he was. One was another German Shepherd, named Dave; and the other was a tri-breed of a German Shepherd, a Chow, and a Belgian Malamute, named Justin. As he and his comrade entered the mess, they were greeted by a few different faces. Two of them were brothers: Privates John and Jordan McCaul. They were sitting next to eachother eating donuts and drinking a cup of coffee.

One of the other men was also a new recruit. His name was Private First Class Colin Farkus. He was always a little jittery and nervous, but today for once, he seemed kind of relaxed. Balto's handler, Lance Corporal Mike Sanchez, approached him and said, "Good mornin' kid. You alright today?" Colin looked up and said, "Yeah man, I'm fine, just havin' a cup o' coffee to ease the nerves."

He then looked down and took a sip of coffee, and without warning said, "Ah fuck! I forgot that's still hotter than one of mama's freshly baked apple pies sittin' on the window sill on a-…" Mike cut him off, "Private, cool it with those metaphors and phrases of yours." Both of them laughed a bit. Farkus then stated, "Sorry, it's a habit I'm trynna' break." His handler then grabbed some coffee and a piece of toast and sat down next to Farkus. He gave Balto some discarded eggs and a bagel, and he poured him some water. Everyone proceeded to eat their breakfast in mostly silence, all the while thinking about what awaited them on the battlefield.

**(I'm not sure if it's much, but I'm trying to do a little character development, so bear with me. A little more in chapter two, then on to the action.) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2-More Development**

**Author's Notes: ****None, Story continuation.**

Johnathan and Jake entered the briefing room. John walked up to the front of the large table, while Jake proceeded to the center-left chair and took a seat. Johnathan quickly scanned the room and found all 16 out of 19 sets of eyes. He then began to speak. "Alright gentlemen, listen up! First things first, later today we're gonna be gettin' some new additions to our little family. I want you all to treat them with respect. I know how you kids act sometimes. Secondly, it looks like they picked the right time to join us. Today, we're goin' on a seek and destroy mission. Our objective is to locate enemy insurgents and neutralize any opposition. Now I want all of you to keep in mind, not everyone you see is hostile. Just keep your eyes trained to any suspicious characters, even children. If the situation becomes hostile, don't hesitate to kill, not even kids. We'll have armor and air support on standby if needed. We move out at 09:30. Are there any questions? Good, I didn't think so. Everyone get some chow and practice at the range, No exceptions! Am I understood?" The marines all replied, "Sir, yes sir!" John looked at them one more time before saying, "Alright, dismissed!"

As all the men were clearing out, John pulled one aside, 31 year old Corporal Dimitri Berenkov. He was their explosives expert. John looked at him and said, "We're gonna be more careful this time, right?" The corporal chuckled and said, "Of course sir. Do not be worrying about it. Let me handle the explosives."

_Flashback: 2 Years Earlier, 7.6 Miles South of Border-10:37:12 A.M._

Johnathan and his squad of 6 were locked in a firefight with enemy insurgents. Berenkov and had entered the small building nearby to plant explosives and scatter the enemy. The squad was up against 30+ enemy soldiers. John relayed orders, "Hemenaz, fire your goddamn weapon! Corporal Hernandez, focus your fire on the guys between the cars. Miller, fall back and-" He was cut off when a sniper bullet impacted on the car right in front of him and came out the other side. "Fuck! Miller, Hernandez, shift fire to that goddamn sniper. , take Mitchell and O'Brien around to those rocks and lay down heavy fire, wait for my order. Marines…..Covering fire!" Everyone started opening up and pinning the enemy down. "Alright, move, move, move!"

Shephard and the two men sprinted for the rocks and took cover. With their position, they had good cover and a clear line of sight. They also laid down suppressive fire, killing 5 soldiers in the process.

Meanwhile, Berenkov and Cole had taken out three enemies on their way to the load bearing support columns of the building. Little did they know, they had 9 enemies headed their way. Berenkov looked at Cole and said, "Alright comrade, stay close. We only have small window of time to complete task at hand. If you see anything move, shoot it." Private Cole nodded and followed the specialist. After a few minutes, they reached a column that would bring the building down completely if destroyed. Berenkov recognized this and laughed a bit. He planted C4 in two places on the column.

When he was almost done with the last one, Adam saw movement. "Dimitri, I think I saw something man." "No, maybe your eyes are playing with head." Cole saw something again and heard whispering. "Nah man, I'm serious." Just then three bullets passed by their heads. Dimitri made a mistake and set the timer for 1 minute and 45 seconds when his finger slipped. "Fuck! Private take them out quick!" Cole tossed a frag grenade. When it exploded, he had killed 3. The other six started firing.

Berenkov said, "We do not have time for this private, we must go!" The private continued to return fire. The corporal then grabbed the private's arm and pulled him away, running. "Cole, when I give you an order, you follow it!" The timer was steady ticking away, and was down to 30 seconds, as they exited the building.

Outside, Johnathan and the men were growing impatient. Hemenaz said, "Where the fuck are they?! They should've been back by now! Just then, Berenkov and Cole came running by them. Berenkov looked at all the men and shouted, "Fall back!" John replied, "What!" Berenkov didn't look back but yelled, "I set the timer too short!"

John snapped out of it and said, "Oh shit! Everyone, disengage and pull the fuck back, it's gonna blow!" The men all got up and sprinted away from the enemy. As soon as they got 20 meters from their original location, a loud _BOOM, _was heard, and they dropped to the ground, covering their heads.

The building collapsed and many screams from the enemy were heard. A large dust and sand cloud blew over the men before they could stand a minute later. When they did, everyone turned their gaze to Berenkov. Private Hernandez looked at him and said, "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Berenkov replied, shrugging his shoulders, "What, my finger slipped." Everyone groaned in annoyance. 5 minutes later their APC Stryker arrived for extraction.

_End Flashback_

John laughed and shook his head. Berenkov then saluted the higher ranking man, and departed for the range. When Johnathan was about to exit, a man walked in, Corporal Salvatore Patterson. He was the platoon's main tech specialist and communications officer. "Sir, the new guys are gonna be here in 5 mikes. Apparently, we're getting a few more soldiers too." John said, "Halle-fucking-lujah. We finally can boost our numbers. Alright corporal thanks." Patterson smiled and said, "No problem, sir." After he was gone, John stood there for a moment. He sighed and then walked out of the door to meet the new men.


	3. Chapter 3:Smooth Ride

**Chapter Three (3)-Smooth Ride**

**Author's Note: ****I'm gonna be adding a few more new characters. This is also where Balto becomes more involved in this story. But this story is not SOLEY centered on him. It is about the trust and bond that is formed between soldiers during war. Also, it is about the stress and tragic loss. Whether some people like to admit it or not, the same person that's rude as shit to you, or who you argue with all the time, could be the person to save your ass. Sorry about the tangent. On with the story.**

_K-9 Training Facility #4-Vehicle Depot_

Balto and his handler, Mike, were entering the back of the APC with 4 other men, and 2 dogs. There were 6 men in the other APC. The other 4 men and 2 dogs were in an LAV-25. They were on their way to Zulu Base for their briefing and first assignments. They would be there within 5 minutes, especially on the open desert, where the APCs could reach a top speed of 70 MPH.

Once the men were seated, their lieutenant stepped in. He was 33 year old Lieutenant Sammuel Alvarez. Aside from Johnathan at Zulu, he was the oldest soldier assigned to their platoon. He began to speak, "Alright men, as you all know today we're being deployed and saddled with the recon teams. This is what you were trained to do. But more importantly, you were trained to adapt to any situation. Today, that's what you're gonna have to do. Command's sending us on a seek and destroy mission with the recon. Our job is to use the dogs to sniff out any IED's and report them to the explosives expert. I'm not saying we won't be in combat today. We're goin' with the main force we're bein' assigned to. I don't know much else except that it's gonna be heavy. I wish you all the best of luck."

The lieutenant then saluted the men and climbed out of the APC and banged it twice. He did the same with the other one and then entered his Humvee with two other men. Balto was thinking about what was gonna happen. Most of all, he was thinking about back home. He was thinking about his mate and his children. Would he ever see them again? What was his old enemy doing? Was he plotting against Balto? The answers to those questions he wouldn't know, not for a while at least.

Even though he likes the thrill of adventure, he would rather be at home. All these thoughts were crossing his mind, but he was far beyond the point of no return. The APCs sped off across the desert on their way to Zulu. All of the soldiers thinking the same thing, what awaits them at their destination and their deployment area? Were they going to survive, or would fate end their worries on the way there by removing them from this world?

They got their answer soon enough, as there convoy was being fired upon. The men inside the APCs were taken by surprise, but knew what to do. They heard the Humvees return fire with their 12.7 mm Heavy Machine Guns. The Stryker operators did the same with their main M2 Browning .50 Caliber Machine Guns. The LAV-25 that was on support opened up in the enemy's direction with it's main M242 Bushmaster 25 mm Chain Gun. There were 10+ enemy fighters in their lightly armored Technicals.

Over the radio the men in the APCs heard the LAV driver say, "Shit, enemy VBIED! Everyone, don't let it get close! Take it out!" A loud explosion was heard 2 seconds later. The APC next to Balto's had been destroyed and his APCs tracks had been destroyed and they slid to a halt. The driver yelled, "Fuck!" All the men were scared and anxious.

The rest of the convoy came to a halt and the troops dismounted their vehicles except for their turrets. The APC's door opened and all the men, including the driver, exited the vehicle. One of the Marines grabbed an SMAW and fired at one of the approaching Technicals. The vehicle was destroyed, but the other was approaching at a rapid speed.

Balto and the other men ran for cover behind their immobilized APC. Once they reached it, the lieutenant climbed up top and got on the 12.7 mm gun. He killed the driver of the Technical and the same soldier destroyed it with another rocket, only 21 yards away. He and 2 other men were knocked down by the explosion.

When the smoke cleared, the men gathered around the body that remained of the destroyed APC. They all saluted in respect for the loss of their comrades. That made all the men more uneasy after the attack. The ones that died could have been them.

After they were done mourning, they were about to enter their vehicles again when one of the men fell to the ground the rest looked at him, then heard a shot. There was an enemy sniper a good distance off. The men all ran for cover, while Sanchez pulled the dead Marine with him. They couldn't risk going out in the open again. They had to radio for reinforcements. They sent a distress call to the base that was the closest, Zulu.

_1.6 Miles Away from Attack Site-Zulu Base_

John and Jake were waiting at the vehicle depot. John said, "What the hell's takin' em' so long?" Jake shrugged his shoulders. Just then, Patterson ran in. "Sir, sir! The convoy's been attacked a little over a mile away from here! They're requesting support!" Johnathan turned and said, "Oh shit. Tell Hernandez and Shephard to get ready." The corporal nodded and ran off.

Jake turned to John and asked, "What are we gonna do?" John looked at him and said, "I want you and the other men to get ready. I'm goin' with Shephard and Hernandez." The staff sergeant nodded and jogged off.

John stood at an M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank. A moment later, Hernandez, Shephard, and to his surprise, Miller came sprinting in to the depot and got in the tank without a word. Once they were all inside and everything was checked, Miller loaded a sabot round and Shephard turned on the tank. Johnathan turned on, Johnny Cash's, "God's Gonna Cut You Down," and said, "Alright boys, let's go get our men." The Abrams sped out of the depot at 17 MPH, and once it was in the open, it reached it's maximum speed of 43 MPH towards the location of the distressed Marines.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four (4)-9 Minutes**

**Author's Note:**** None, Story Continuation.**

_1__.6 Miles Away from Zulu Base-Convoy Attack Site_

Lieutenant Alvarez looked to their tech specialist, Private First Class Ryan Petersman. He was talking into his radio. "Yes sir. WILCO!" He put his radio away and turned to Alvarez. "Sir, tanks will be here in 9 minutes. We have to hold out for nine minutes." Alvarez sighed and nodded. "Rog', thanks kid." The men sat in silence thinking about what'll happen.

Their thoughts were interrupted by an explosion. "Fuck! They got the LAV!" Their LAV was destroyed, and even if it wasn't they wouldn't have been able to use the guns to suppress the enemy because of the sniper. But that was the least of their worries. Once they all thought about the explosion for a second, the two Humvees that they had were destroyed. They looked closer and noticed that the enemy was using a well-copied model of a Soviet T-90 tank. There were 2 Technicals supporting the tank as well. Alvarez looked and said, "Shit, we are so fucked!"

The tank's turret turned towards them and the lieutenant ordered, "Everyone, fan out, fan out! Pull back to some cover, now!" Everyone took off sprinting in random directions, including the dogs. Balto tried to stay with Mike, but ended up getting separated. He had tripped at one point while running and figured that it was a rock. Little did he know, he sustained a wound from the enemy sniper.

5 seconds after the order was given and the men ran; the APC was destroyed. No one stopped running. After about 3 minutes, they were far enough away to stop. The entire unit was scattered and a few men had dropped their radios. There was no way of rallying everyone.

Balto and most of the dogs had all been separated. He was alone, and was walking through the vast desert. In his mind, he was extremely scared. He had no idea what to do. He found a few boulders and took cover behind them. He was panting heavily. The boulders provided little shade from the smoldering sun.

After 5 minutes, his mouth was dry, and it seemed as if it was a million degrees. There was no way to escape the heat. He said to himself, "God, please let me make it out of here. I made a promise…I made a promise." He was becoming dizzy now, and the last thing he heard before he blacked out was what he assumed to be an approaching vehicle.

* * *

_3 Minutes Ago-0.7 Miles Away from Attack Site_

Johnathan had the hatch of the tank open so he could observe the surroundings. He noticed a smoke trail and pointed in that direction. "Alright gentlemen, we're not much farther. Keep your eyes and ears sharp. Be prepared for anything." The men all replied quietly, "Yes sir." Shephard slowed the tank down to about 22 miles per hour. He kept his eyes on the monitor the whole time. Everyone was a little nervous as to what they'd find.

10 seconds later, Miller attempted to establish contact. "Yankee 3-5, Yankee 3-5, this is Boomer 1-7. We are en route to your location, how copy?" There wasn't an answer. He waited a minute and said, "I say again, Yankee 3-5, this is Boomer 1-7. We are en route to your location, how copy?" After a few seconds, there was finally an answer. "Boomer 1-7, this is Yankee 3-5. Do not approach ambush site, repeat do not approach ambush site. This is Lieutenant Sammuel Alvarez; there is an enemy tank in the vicinity. Be advised, the sniper in the area is still up. I recommend remaining in your tank. We are scattered and are down to half of our original numbers. We all fanned out to different sections of the desert. I recommend that you and the rest of the men either return to base and come back with more vehicles, or hold position and call for airborne search teams."

John picked up the radio and spoke. "Alvarez, this is Lieutenant General Johnathan Jones. I fully agree. Will request for airborne assistance and search teams. Tell your men to keep their eyes in the sky for UH-60 Blackhawks. More armor will be in the area soon. We'll look for an alternate route around to your position if possible. Maintain current status and…Uh!"

The tank was hit and he dropped the radio. "Shephard, where the fuck's that fire comin' from?!" "Sir, it's a T-90. There's also 4 enemy T-55s and 2 Technicals. Sir, we are outnumbered, 7:1. We have to pull back. Oh shit!" Miller looked over and said, "What is it?" "ENEMY VBIEDS, APPROACHING FAST, LEFT SIDE! Multiple enemy ground troops as well. Maybe 10 or more." John looked at the monitor and ordered, "Hernandez, get your ass on that .50 and light those fuckers up. Miller, drop that goddamn radio and get on this turret. I'll load the sabots, you light up the targets. Shephard, keep your eyes on the monitor and try to maneuver away from enemy fire, we won't survive another hit like that first one."

All of the men got to their stations and started picking off targets. Hernandez destroyed 3 VBIEDs, and 5 foot soldiers. Shephard turned the tank just in time to avoid a tank shell. Miller started shooting off sabot rounds from the main cannon, rather quickly. After 7 shells were fired within 1 minute, some smoke shot out from inside the tank from rapid firing. John stopped loading and said, "Hot damn, Marceline's gettin' worked today!"

There were 2 tanks remaining by this point. They had tried to run but as soon as they turned around, they were destroyed. All of the men inside the tank were confused. John poked his head out of the hatch after the smoke cleared and saw 5 more Abrams tanks. A message came through over the radio, "Hey sir, need a hand?" The voice belonged to one of his best friends.

John replied over the radio, "James you corny bastard. Where the hell have you been?" It was his friend James Smith. They were separated during training because James broke his leg and was cycled to a later class for tank divisions. "That's not important right now John. I heard you got some friends that need savin'. I called in a little support." Just then, 7 Blackhawks flew overhead, and 4 Humvees sped by the tanks.

"What rank are you, General?" James laughed and said, "Nope, Lieutenant Colonel. I was given extra support for a scouting mission, and when I heard the distress call from your men over the Op Channel, I said fuck it, and gathered everyone I could and came over here. Come on; let's go see if we can't find your men." John smiled and said, "10-4, let's do this."

Just then 2 A-10 fighter planes flew overhead, and one of the pilots said, "Boomer 1-7, this is Eagle 1-1. I have eyes on what I think is a squad of men with some dogs." James said, "Roger Eagle, what location? Break."  
"About 1 mile southeast of your current location, break." A staff sergeant in one of the Humvees said, "Whiskey 3-4 here, I found a dog. He's unconscious, will collect and head to Zulu for immediate attention." Johnathan replied, "Rog', when you get there tell Staff Sergeant Arrasmith to pull in all recon teams to base. I want all personnel there before I get back." "Yes sir."

One of the UH-60 pilots said, "Lieutenant General Jones, sir, I have located 3 men and 2 dogs. One of the men is wounded, will land and transport to Zulu."  
"Roger that, proceed with mission."  
"Yes sir."  
For the next few hours everyone searched and recovered mostly everyone. The only person missing was Mike.

**(I am aware that this got extremely confusing and I apologize. I will make this clearer for the rest of the story. Next chapter will be mostly calm. More will be explained about Sanchez's disappearance next chapter.)**


End file.
